Recent advancements in the field of digital communications have resulted in a wide variety of alternative paths by which a user can receive information. In particular, advancements in electronic mail services and instant messaging services have diverted traffic away from traditional physical mail channels, as instantaneous communications have permanently changed the perceptions and behaviors of users with respect to communication. In 2010, broadband Internet penetration reached 80% and wireless web penetration reached 96% penetration. With the Internet's accessibility at such heights, users are increasingly turning to its convenience to manage all aspects of communications, financial transactions, and commerce.
The rapid proliferation of digital channels has resulted in a user experience that is segmented across a variety of different platforms. For example, the rapid evolution of social networking has changed how individuals manage their personal relationships and otherwise communicate with their network of friends, families, and business associates. The use of social networking sites has doubled from 26% in 2008 to 59% in 2011, and this trend has made digital technology central to how relationships are managed.
Similarly, digitization of bill presentment and payment, as well as other traditionally physical mail services, is becoming mainstream as more households are adopting these solutions in place of receiving physical bills. These advancements in digital bill payment processes have quickly cause a substantial increase in the number of online tools for marketing, retail, finance, and bill payments. Businesses are aggressively seeking ways to reduce costs, placing the emphasis on reducing paper statements by reducing the frequency of statements, utilizing new communication channels and consolidating communications across business units. It is estimated that mailers can actualize cost savings of 20% to 30% of overall operating costs based on a migration to digital mail, compared with traditional physical mail. Furthermore, governments that are facing deficits can use digital mailing techniques as a way to cut costs and address citizens' demands for greater transparency and communication.
The individualized digital services that have resulted from the movement from the physical to the digital has resulted in a user experience that can easily be overwhelming, as users must now keep track of communications arriving via the physical route, as well as a number of digital routes. Therefore, because of the increased importance of electronic communications, and because physical mail still plays an important role, it is desirable to introduce tools to allow users to universally integrate and centralize physical and digital aspects of communication, and to further add value to traditional mail by supplementing digital features to the physical mail experience and integrating convenient features with the added digital features.
This and other objects may be achieved by systems and methods for creating and using a hybrid-digital mailbox according to embodiments of the disclosure as described herein.